How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

But beyond that, the games were also tuned in a way that made them both easier to play and more fun than their predecessors. Instead, you need to complete a range of often strange island trials, like finding creatures hidden in burrows, or searching for ingredients by smell. More importantly, it mixes up the standard Pokemon progression formula. It's the standard region-threatening story that nearly every mainline Pokemon game goes through, dealing with the threat of a criminal team in this case the thuggery-themed Team Skull and fighting a few legendary Pokemon on the way. And, of course, you can fight and trade Pokemon with other players through the Internet or over local wireless. Each Z-Crystal corresponds with a specific Pokemon type Fightium, Electrium, Darkium , and when you equip it to a Pokemon with moves of that type, you can trigger a powerful special move called a Z-Move.

The new Pokémon games on the Nintendo 3DS are the most welcoming yet

If you're a Pokemon fan, either version stands out as a must-have game. Instead, it was a series of smaller quality-of-life tweaks that all added up to a more streamlined experience. They replace the Mega Evolutions of Pokemon X and Y, which were temporary transformations certain Pokemon could go through once per fight. Alola trials mix up and vary progression over the gym-and-badge system, breathing new life into the game for longtime fans. If you want to go somewhere else, a friendly Charizard with a seat strapped to his back can be called with his own Ride Pager. In games like Pokémon Red or Blue on the original Game Boy, even just managing your pokémon was a chore.

How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

They still take place in the new Alola region, a series of connected tropical islands with an incredibly chill vibe. For instance, you can collect new, very powerful totem pokémon, but doing so simply requires you to find stickers hidden around the islands. Each Pokemon is modeled and animated in 3D, making battles look like actual fights between Pokemon instead of character sprites vibrating at each other. In the new games, there are more to find, and existing ones are given a larger slate of moves to utilize in battle. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon add a number of new features, and for the most part you can access them both quickly and easily.

How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

Instead, you must solve the trials of various captains in Alola, culminating with grand trials with the kahuna on each major island. You can also visit the now-standard Battle facility in the post-game, this time in the form of the Battle Tree. These continue to tweak and polish the Pokemon formula, and they stand together as one of the strongest chapters yet. Think of Z-Moves as the Pokemon version of Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy. .

How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested. It's a fun little extra feature that doesn't offer much in the way of active gameplay, but it makes the lives of your Pokemon seem more enjoyable than just waiting in balls until you bother to use them. Pokemon's been around for more than 20 years and is still going strong. The game opens up after a while, but Pokemon veterans will find the start to be a slog. Like a low-level Magikarp, the Pokémon series evolves very, very slowly. But for Pokémon to stay Pokémon, that welcoming spirit needs to remain in tact. Until now, every major Pokemon game required you to fight through eight gyms scattered throughout the regions, win the badges of those gyms from the gym leader, and then face off against the best trainers at the Pokemon League.

Pokemon Sun (for Nintendo 3DS) Review & Rating

These trials can involve simple battles against trainers and wild Pokemon, or exploratory jaunts through caves, but they're usually much more creative challenges. Each trial also gives you a tangible, useful reward in the form of Z-Crystals. However, it's also much denser, with interesting locations packed into each island instead of strung across long, trainer-filled routes that offer very little variety. There's plenty to do after the main quest, as well. Geographically, it's slightly smaller than the other regions. Alola has no gyms, and the Pokemon League is still a very new phenomenon in the area. Vacations and Festivals Besides fighting and exploring, you can engage in different activities with your Pokemon.

How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

Pokemon can also have unique Abilities, passive characteristics that can do things such as automatically debuffing enemies at the start of battle, changing the power of different attack types by altering the battlefield, or countering attacks with status effects. The main legendary Pokemon depends on the version you get the sun lion Solgaleo with Sun and the moon bat Lunala with Moon , but there are other rare, powerful Pokemon to pick up as well, including the different islands' totem Pokemon. You'll find a bigger, overarching quest to go on around Alola besides taking the different trials. Much of the focus in the Ultra games is on legendary pokémon, tough-to-beat creatures typically found toward the end of the game. Poke Pelago is a series of small islands you can access through the menu where your Pokemon can hang out when not in your party. Festival Plaza can be used to train your Pokemon and get rare items, and the more visitors you please the more attractions you can get.

How to Update Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon

Puzzles and exploration have the same basic structures as before, but thanks to Ride Pagers you don't have to worry about saddling one of your own Pokemon with the Hidden Machine moves you need just to get to the next area; the Ride Pager Pokemon are kept separate from your party and don't count towards the six-Pokemon limit you can travel with. It pits you against different trainers using your team, but without any legendary Pokemon and locked at level 50, ensuring the challenge is much more strategic than simply seeing which Pokemon has higher stats. Related These kinds of changes are especially apparent. The latest main Pokemon titles, Sun and Moon the former reviewed here , signal the seventh generation of the series. Ride Pagers improve overworld navigation. These are special attacks you can only use once per fight that deal supercharged damage of that attack's move. An additional extra campaign sends you running around dealing with the aftermath of the main story, plus several areas and rare Pokemon you couldn't get to before.